Pope Francis has urged President Donald Trump not to make America a land of hatred, but a “land of opportunity and welcome for all.”
Mr. Trump was sworn in Monday as the 47th President of the United States and he has promised on his first day in office to deport immigrants who are not properly documented.
“It is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion,” the Pope wrote on telegram Monday.
On Sunday night Pope Francis had spoke about the planned deportations during an appearance on a popular Italian talk show, “Che Tempo Che Fa.”
“If true, this will be a disgrace, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay the bill” for the problem, Francis said. “This won’t do! This is not the way to solve things. That’s not how things are resolved.”
Many U.S. bishops have firmly opposed Trump’s deportation plan, with the incoming archbishop of Washington D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy, saying such policies were “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.” It was a reference to the biblical call to “welcome the stranger.”
Another cardinal close to Francis, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, said the reports of mass deportations targeting the Chicago area “are not only profoundly disturbing but also wound us deeply.”
In a statement delivered from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on Sunday, Cupich said governments have the responsibility to protect borders and communities.
“But we also are committed to defending the rights of all people, and protecting their human dignity,” according to the text of his statement.
Francis, who grew up in Argentina in a family of Italian immigrants, has long prioritized the plight of migrants and called for governments to welcome, protect and integrate them, within their means. He has said the dignity and rights of migrants trump any national security concerns. With AP reports
